The Novel Tea

We loved Passing so much that we had to do another episode. Shruti and Neha take a deep dive into the complicated relationship between Irene and Clare, discuss its parallels to Mean Girls, and ruminate some more on the book’s mysterious ending. We also discuss the 2021 Netflix movie adaptation.If you would like to hear more in-depth literary and cultural analysis, curated book recommendations, and critical commentary, subscribe to our free newsletter. You can also connect with us on Instagram or by emailing us at thenovelteapod@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neha and Shruti introduce their first book pair! Passing by Nella Larsen, and The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, published nearly 100 years apart, perfectly complement one another as they both revolve around themes of race, discrimination, identity, and belonging. We discuss similarities and differences between the characters and their choices, compare our reading experiences, and gush over the beautiful writing.If you would like to hear more in-depth literary and cultural analysis, curated book recommendations, and critical commentary, subscribe to our free newsletter. You can also connect with us on Instagram or by emailing us at thenovelteapod@gmail.com.Shelf DiscoveryPassing by Nella LarsenThe Vanishing Half by Brit BennettNeha - Quicksand by Nella Larsen; and A Woman is No Man by Etaf RumShruti - A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In The Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich introduces us to a rich cast of characters in weaving a story based on her grandfather's fight against Native American dispossession. We work our way through some confusing moments of magical realism, and discuss the importance of passing on these kinds of stories to new generations of readers.If you would like to hear more in-depth literary and cultural analysis, curated book recommendations, and critical commentary, subscribe to our free newsletter. You can also connect with us on Instagram or by emailing us at thenovelteapod@gmail.com.Shelf Discovery:The Night Watchman by Louise ErdrichNeha - One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia MarquezShruti - The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our first book, Neha and Shruti discuss The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri - one of the first books we ever read that resonated with us as first generation immigrants, and third culture kids. We explore how our feelings have changed re-reading the book all these years later, and reflect on how relevant immigrant stories are to every generation.If you would like to hear more in-depth literary and cultural analysis, curated book recommendations, and critical commentary, subscribe to our free newsletter. You can also connect with us on Instagram or by emailing us at thenovelteapod@gmail.com.Links:The Death of the Author by Roland BarthesShelf Discovery:The Namesake by Jhumpa LahiriShruti - Passing by Nella Larsen; and Such a Long Journey by Rohinton MistryNeha - A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Novel Tea! We are so excited to launch this podcast. In this short trailer, we introduce ourselves and give a brief overview of how our episodes will be structured. You'll also hear some teasers for the episodes to come. Stay tuned for book discussions coming soon, and follow us on Instagram @thenoveltea.pod to find out what our first book will be! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.